Once upon a time, the quantity of your Instagram followers was the primary yardstick by which you were judged.
But no longer. With Instagram’s 2016 algorithm update emphasising post interaction rather than follower count, the latter has become more of a vanity metric. A pick-me-up to boost your confidence.
That doesn’t mean we can ignore it, though. A Facebook-commissioned poll found that 81 percent of Instagram users said they have used the app to do product or service research. If you don’t want to leave money on the table for your rivals to take, you need to increase your audience with organic followers.
In this article, I’ll provide some tried-and-true strategies for expanding your Instagram following and gaining traction. I’ll also introduce you to 10 apps, both free and commercial, that can aid you in monitoring and analysing your Instagram following’s expansion.
Counting your Instagram followers is a fantastic idea since…
Let’s be clear about something: there’s just one kind of follower growth you should care about. That’s how many new fans you’ve gained naturally. You shouldn’t resort to buying Instagram followers.
What gives?
Reasoning is straightforward. You need them to pay attention. You want people to engage with your posts since it tells Instagram your material is valuable. However, bought Instagram likes won’t result in any interaction. They won’t be instrumental in expanding your company. They will only serve to boost your fan base.
That’s also not the answer you’re hoping to find. That’s why keeping tabs on your Instagram statistics is essential. Verify that the people who are following you are genuinely people and not bots.
Guidelines for sustaining and expanding your Instagram following
If you want more followers on Instagram, consider these suggestions.
Avoid phoney fans at all costs
Getting more Instagram followers by purchasing them is the easy way out. The idea of gaining thousand new followers in a matter of days must be enticing.
Markerly found that accounts with less than 100 followers typically have around an 8% interaction rate while studying Instagram influencer accounts. The participation percentage reduces to roughly 4% between 1,000 and 10,000. Accounts with over 10 million followers only have 1.6% engagement, continuing the trend of low interaction in proportion to large follower counts.
To get the most out of Instagram, you should:
Make sure your initial impression is a lasting one. Although the adage is rather ancient, it is still relevant today.
Consumers establish an opinion of your brand in less than two-tenths of a second, according to studies. A consumer will make up his mind about you in just a second.
A customer’s initial impression of your Instagram profile will be formed by your profile picture, bio, and a small selection of your feed. Therefore, addressing these first is recommended.
Your brand’s values should be reflected in your profile picture. Your company’s logo, in most circumstances. If you have many social media profiles, this will assist you maintain a unified presence.
While website traffic is a vital indicator to keep an eye on, Instagram restricts your ability to direct users away from the app.
There’s no other place to include a link besides your bio. Put a web address there to send people to your online shop. You may add many links to your Instagram profile with the help of a programme like Linktree if you want to direct people to certain web pages.
Encourage viewers to visit other pages
Using your existing audience from other platforms might help you gain traction on Instagram. If you’re just getting started, your Instagram following won’t be that large.
However, you may make use of the following you have established on other sites.
To encourage people to follow your business on Instagram, you might, for instance, send a newsletter to everyone on your email list. Other social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, might benefit from the same approach. These individuals have shown an interest in your brand by following it on these social media sites.
Engage with the people that follow you on Instagram.
Create a following for your business on Instagram. You should approach it with that mindset.
Establishing a one-on-one connection with your readers is essential to growing a loyal following. Don’t just post photos and videos to Instagram and then disappear without responding to comments or direct messages.
Make the most of Instagram’s many functions
Instagram may have begun as a simple photo-sharing service. But it’s evolved into something far larger than that. Therefore, the platform has implemented a wide variety of tools to assist you in developing varied and interesting content for your target demographic.
Conclusion
You can get a comprehensive picture of your Instagram success by tracking your follower growth with other social media key performance indicators. Instagram engagement for your brand can be affected by the number of followers you have, so keeping tabs on that number will help you determine whether you need to make any adjustments to your approach.